II. BOOK Patres, hîc hîc vos operam vestram interponeretis, ut illic pacificus Irenæus, et Episcopi, qui in id sedulò incubuerunt, ne Victoris sententia Asianorum libertati præjudicaret, neve rituum dissonantia fidei consonantiam solveret. Siqua nostræ in Christo consociationis ratio, siqua cvμñáDela, (esse autem non dubitamus,) patiamini, enitamini, ut quod Paulus præcipit, Augustinus perhibuit, in sua quisque Tangopogía acquiescat, ut ipsa fidei unitas diversis observationibus celebretur. Causæ multæ et magnæ, quæ nos ad petendum moverunt, vos, nisi nostra de vestra pietate et prudentia fallit opinio, ad assentiendum permovebunt. Teneram rem esse conscientiam, vobis non est obscurum: quæ nec tangi, nec angi debet. Hæc quæ à Deo ipsa accepit, nobis tradidit. Non enim profecto turbulenti, aut contumaces sumus, ut Ecclesiæ pacem turbatam libenter aspiciamus, quam colimus et fovemus: vel ut novitati studeamus, qui ad antiquum ecclesiæ candorem aspiramus: vel ut vinci nolimus, qui ratione persuaderi et instrui cupimus. Verum enimvero nos conscientia magistra edocti sumus, res natura indifferentes, opinionibus hominum non semper indifferentes videri, casu ac temporibus variari: legem hanc de ceremoniis Romanæ Ecclesiæ instaurandis cum servitutis, necessitatis, superstitionis periculo conjungi. Hoc quia vobis non videtur, vos à nobis non damnandi, nobis quia sic videtur, nos à vobis non divexandi. Nostra conscientia nos docet, si præterita spacia superioris memoriæ animo repetimus, à nobis stare Deum, Christum, primæ ecclesiæ patres. Si oculos per vicina tempora et loca circumferimus, doctissimos homines, et vos ipsos, et ecclesias, quæ quidem plenè repurgatæ sunt, universas; Deum, cujus voce reges Judæorum prædicantur, qui omnia vasa, id est omnia idololatriæ instrumenta, et apparatum deleverunt: Christum, qui Pharisæorum omne fermentum, jejunia, lavacra, fimbrias et phylacteria repudiavit: Patres, qui nec cum Judæis Sabbatho jejunare, aut Pasca celebrare, nec cum hæreticis lavare, nec cum Manichæis die Dominico 54 abstinere, nec ulla in re, ubi aliqua esse potest consensionis significatio, communicare voluerunt: Doctissimos, qui nostra II. ætate nobiscum in hac fide et sententia piè vixerunt, et BOOK nunc in Domino suaviter obdormientes, idem nos è libris docuerunt: vosipsos, qui, si conscientias vestras appellaremus, nobiscum sentiretis, et omnes hos offensionis lapides amotos, penitus optaretis: deinde ecclesias puriores, Germanicam, Gallicam, Scoticam; in quibus non modo religio illibata conservatur, sed ritus etiam religionis testes et indices, simplices non contaminati, à Christianis Ecclesiis mutuati, non à Romano synagoga desumpti, observantur. Postremò, quam grave scandalum hinc oriatur, vestra non ignorat prudentia. Adversarii nobis afflictis insultabunt: dein, vos suam causam propugnantes, suum jus persequentes, in sinu tacitè ridebunt: tum invento suo, postquam à vobis non modo retineri, sed per vos fratribus obtrudi viderint, sibi magis placebunt. Quamobrem ut tandem aliquando nostra terminetur petitio, demississimè petimus, ut quod Papistis curæ et voluptati, vobis non magnoperè cordi est, quod à nobis nullo contemptu vestrî, sed odio communis hostis fit; id nobis ne fraudi sit aut crimini. Ita Ecclesiis prospicietis optimè; ita Sathanæ omnes vias et rimulas ad subvertendam religionis puritatem obsepietis providentissimè; ita hostibus nostro malo et miseria oculos animosque pascentibus, et nostra hac discordia serio triumphantibus ilia rumpentur justissimè; ita nos ut fratres in Christo diligetis Christianissimè: ita vos, ut Patres venerabimur meritissimè: ita dextras societatis jungemus amicissimè; communemque causam communibus consiliis, et curis adversus omnes hostium machinationes et insultus propugnabimus fortissimè. Quod ut fiat, faxit Jesus Ecclesiæ suæ Deus ac Dominus zelotes. Cui vestram paternitatem custodiendam, et nostram calamitatem sanandam, etiam atque etiam commendamus. BOOK II. Number XXXI. An answer to the reasons, that the apparel of Priests ought not to be worn. By the which answer it will appear, that the apparel of Priests may be worn. Written by Guest, Bishop of Rochester. MSS. penes me. The first reason. APPAREL ought to be worn, as meat ought to be eaten. But by Poule, meat offered to idols ought not to be eaten. Therefore Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to be worn. The answer. Let al the apparel of Priests be new made, as al that hath been, which hath been made since idolatry and superstition have been put away; and this reason maketh not against the wearing of such apparel of Priests, because it was never superstitiously used. And this reason concludeth but against the wearing of Priests apparel which hath been superstitiously used. If it be replied and said, that Priests apparel that is now worne is such in facion as hath been superstitiously used; and therfore the apparel of Priests that is now worn, ought not to be worn: I answer, that yet this argument holdeth not, no more than this; Meat which is not offered to idols is such in kind as hath been offered to idols: therfore that meat ought not to be eaten. But to the aforesaid reason, Apparel ought to be worn as meat ought to be eaten. But by Poule meat offered to idols ought not to be eaten. Therfore Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to be worn. The minor or second part of this reason, generally and simply taken, is not true. Therfore the conclusion followeth not. For it is playne in Poule, that the Corinthians, which knewe the liberty of the Gospel, might eat the meat 1 Cor. x. that was offered to idols. Siquis vocat vos infidelium, et 55 vultis ire, quicquid apponitur vobis, edite, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam. Quod siquis vobis dixerit, hoc simulachris immolatum est, ne edatis propter illum, qui indicavit, II. et propter conscientiam. Conscientiam, dico, non tuam, sed BOOK illius alterius. Here Poule sheweth that the Corinthians, which knewe the libertie of the Gospel, might eat what meat soever was set before them, though it had been offered to idols. And therefore touchyng there own conscience, they neded not to aske whether the meate was dedicated to idols or no, knowynge that even that meate was not forbidden to bee eaten; and so by themselves, and with other also, which they knewe not, nor shewed themselves to be offended with the eatynge of idol-meate, they might lawfully eate it. And whereas Poule forbad the eatynge therof, it was onely doen for the weak consciences of them that were not resolved, that to eat such meate was lawfull. For thees be Poule's wordes, Ne edatis propter illum, qui indicavit, et propter conscientiam, non suam, sed illius alterius. Whereupon thus it is to be concluded for the lawful wearynge of Priests apparel, that hath been superstitiously used: as generally and simply it is lawful to eate the meat that was offered to idols, even so it is with the like generality to be concluded, that Priests apparel, that hath been abused about superstition and idolatrie, may be worn. Therfore, as Poule saith, Nemo vos judicet in cibo, in potu, aut in Coloss. ii. parte diei festi, for al the superstition that was in them: so it is to bee saied, that no man ought to condemne us for wearing the Priests apparel, for al it hath been superstitiously used. And thus the reason that was made against the wearing of the superstitiously abused apparel of the Priests, generally and simply maketh for the wearynge of the same. But here it is said, that Poule forbiddeth the Corinthians 1 Cor. x. to eat idol-meat before them that think it unlawful to be eaten, least they bee offended withal; therefore Priests apparel, which hath been used to a superstitious end, ought not to be worne. I answer, Now the minor of the foresaid reason is changed, and made not so general as the conclusion is, and so the reason is worse then it was. For this now is the reason apparel ought to be worne, as meat ought to be eaten but by Poule meat offered to idols ought not to be : II. BOOK eaten with the offence of other. Therefore Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to be worne. So the conclusion here is more general than the minor, because thees wordes," with the offence of other," be not put in the conclusion to restrayne it withall, as they be put in the minor. And so there is more in the conclusion, then there is in the minor. Therefore the argument is not good; and it is a fallax a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter. But be it, the minor and the conclusion be restrayned alike; and so the reason is thus framed, " Apparel ought to be worne, as meat ought to be eaten; but by Poule, meat "offered to idols ought not to be eaten with the offence of "other. Therefore Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to be worne with the offence "of other." 66 66 Yet this reason proveth not the negative of the question; bycause the negative therof is not put in the conclusion. For the negative of the conclusion is not, that Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to be worne with the offence of other, (as it is here put,) but it is, that Priests apparel ought not to be worne, as it is at the beginning declared: and so this reason is fallacia accidentis. Bycause Priests apparel may be worne, whether it hath been superstitiously used or no, when and where none be offended withal, as it is before proved. And thoughe this reason maketh not against the wearing of Priests apparel; yet it maketh for it; and that for three causes. The first is, bycause there is concluded thereby nothing else, but that we may not wear the apparel of Priests with the offence of other. And therfore it is to be presupposed, and inferred therof, that when and where no offence is given by the wearing of such apparel, wee may wear it, whether it hath been superstitiously used or no. Or else these words, "with the offence of other," were put in vaine; and it had been sufficient, barely without the same wordes, to have said, Priests apparel, which hath been superstitiously used, ought not to bee worne. 56 The second cause, why the reason aforesaid maketh for |